THE KEWANEE BOILER COMPANY.
As stated in reviewing the history of the Tube Company, the Kewanee Boiler Company was incorporated on May 4, 1892, with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars, the directors being as follows: E. E. Baker, Horton Vail, T. P. Pierce, J. P. Dugger and August Wagner. Mr. E. E. Baker was elected president and treasurer; Mr. Horton Vail, vice-president and Mr. J. P. Dugger, secretary.
The Kewanee Boiler Company bought the Bennison Mill property just west of the plant of the Haxtun Steam Heater Company, and erected a modern boiler plant, moving in late in the year 1892. The separation from the Western Tube Company was made so that the Western Tube Company might devote all of their energy to the manufacture of pipe, valves and fittings, and the Kewanee Boiler Company might continue the manufacture of boilers.
At first the product was limited to house-heating boilers and tubular boilers. In January, 1893, the number of directors was increased to six, which included Mr. B. F. Baker, who was made treasurer. Several times the capital stock of. the company has been increased until the present capital stock is five hundred thousand dollars, the directors and officers being as follows: president, E. E. Baker; vice-president and treasurer, B. F. Baker; secretary, J. P. Bugger; M. F. Moore, C. V. Kellogg, James Mackay.
In April, 1900, the Kewanee Boiler Company sold to the Western Tube Company the real estate and buildings which they occupied, the Kewanee Boiler Company purchasing seven acres at their present site and building a new plant. The Kewanee Boiler Company used the old plant until the new plant was built, moving into the new plant in the fall of 1900. In the fall of 1901, the Kewanee Boiler Company purchased quite a number of lots and houses north of their plant, and the city vacated the streets and alleys between these lots, thus adding to the plant the area of about eight acres.
During 1902, was built the cast iron radiator plant. At the time of the incorporation of the company about eighty men were employed, and at present about eight hundred men are employed. The volume of business has kept pace with the increase in the number of men, the business at present being approxi mately ten times what it was for the first year of the company's existence. At the present time a very complete line of heating boilers is manufactured; also, horizontal, tubular and fire-box boilers, tanks of all kinds, and cast radiators. The trade at first was confined to a limited territory, but now covers the entire country. The business has grown so fast that at all times additions and new improvements have been made to the plant, the evolution being one of re markable steady growth, even in times of general business depression.
The advertising done by this company is very striking, as will have been observed by readers of the Chicago papers, and it has done much to acquaint people generally with the existence of Kewanee as a manufacturing city. However, the general excellence of the Kewanee Boiler Company's product has in itself been the best sort of an advertisement for both the company and Kewanee. A noticeable feature of the year 1908 was that while many other factories were compelled to curtail production almost to nothing, the Kewanee Boiler Company was able, on account of the special demand for its goods, to keep a very large number of people employed. This has also been true in other years and too much credit cannot be given to the company for its conservative and highly successful management.
History of Henry County
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